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Question 1:

List all the different
social groups which joined the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1921. Then
choose any three and write about their hopes and struggles to show
why they joined the movement.

Answer:

The different social groups that joined the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1921 were the urban middle class comprising lawyers, teachers and headmasters, students, peasants, tribals and workers. Peasants, tribals and workers joined the movement from the countryside. They did so with hopes of self-emancipation. Peasants rebelled against talukdars and landlords who demanded high rents and also forced them to do begar or free labour. Tribal peasants revolted against the enclosure of large forest tracts by the British government, which left them devoid of a livelihood as well as traditional rights. Plantation workers, on the other hand, desired freedom to move about and retain links with the villages they came from. All three believed that Gandhi Raj would come with the Non-Cooperation Movement, and this would mark an end to their sorrows. Hence, they joined the anti-colonial struggle.

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Question 2:

Discuss the Salt March
to make clear why it was an effective symbol of resistance against
colonialism.

Answer:

The Salt March was an effective symbol of resistance against colonialism because it was done in revolt against a commodity—salt, used by the rich and the poor alike. The tax on salt, and the government monopoly over its production was a severely oppressive administrative move. The Salt March was effective also because Gandhiji met a large number of commoners during the march and he taught them the true meaning of swaraj and non-violence. By peacefully defying a law and making salt against government orders, Gandhiji set forth an example to the whole nation of how the oppressor could be confronted in a non-violent manner. This also led to the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930.

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Question 3:

Imagine you are a woman
participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement. Explain what the
experience meant to your life.

Answer:

A woman participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement—facts—salt manufactured; foreign cloth boycotted; liquor shops picketed; peaceful satyagrahis attacked, including women and children; brutal repression, many women went to jail as well; mostly from high castes and rich families; saw national service as a sacred duty

(Base your answer on these facts)

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Question 4:

Why did political
leaders differ sharply over the question of separate electorates?

Answer:

Political leaders differed sharply over the question of separate electorates because of differences in opinion. While those supporting the cause of minorities and the dalits believed that only political empowerment would resolve their social backwardness, others like Gandhiji thought that separate electorates would further slow down the process of their integration into society. Also, it was feared that the system of separate electorates would gradually divide the country into numerous fragments because every community or class would then ask for separate representations.